Recognition of the Concept of Nature in Suhrawardī’s Philosophy in the Light of the Critique of a Typical Form

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Associate professor at Farabi Campus, University of Tehran

2 PhD student in Islamic Philosophy

Abstract

Suhrawardī in his works criticizes and refutes the existence and necessity of specific substances (forms of species). The negation of the existence of species (specific substance) forms requires the negation of two important rules in peripatetic philosophy. The first is that the substance is only dependent on the substance and the accident cannot be the fixer of the substance, and the second is that the essentials (essences) in the substances which attributed on their univocal (non-derivative predication), not analogical gradation are attributed on their own essence. The question that arises here is what is the place of the negation of the existence of specie (specific substance) in the philosophical system of illumination and for what purpose? According to Suhrawardī’s method of reasoning, we find that he uses by knowing of the negation of the Specific substances (form of species) and the acceptance of the standing of the essence to the body (disposition, figure) and also gradation (ambiguity) in nature, uses them in proving the ideal (paradigm, idea) and designers (managers, governing) of differences and thus reaches in the new concept of nature. Nature in this new meaning and concept, as the origin (principle) of light management of the universe of objects by the lords of types (archetypes of species), in other words, the origin of light for the various movements (motions, change) of objects (physical beings).

Keywords